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Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2017: Episode 3 Man Sues Date for Texting During Movie: “Bad first date” stories are very common — but what about stories about first dates that end in a lawsuit? Brendan Vezmar of Austin, TX, sued a woman who joined him on a first date to see Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. … Continue reading “Most Ridiculous Lawsuits of 2017: Episode 3”

Less than four minutes. That’s how long Starbucks estimates it takes for one of its employees to log out and lock up the store each day at closing. But former Starbucks shift supervisor Douglas Troester is the lead plaintiff in a class action case now before the California State Supreme Court. The lawsuit alleges the … Continue reading “‘Time Clock’ Lawsuit Filed Against Starbucks”

Expecting to enjoy the delicious treats that former President Ronald Reagan loved so much, a woman has filed a lawsuit against the Jelly Belly company after she accidentally consumed the company’s Sport Beans product. Sport Beans are an exercise supplement produced by Jelly Belly, advertised as containing “electrolytes and vitamins.” But California resident Jessica Gomez says … Continue reading “Deceived by jelly beans, woman files lawsuit against Jelly Belly”

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Deterring Fraud in the Longest-Running Mass Tort in History

40 years of asbestos lawsuits have bankrupted almost 100 companies, costing tens of thousands of jobs.

It’s the longest running mass tort in history.

Former Washington State attorney general Rob McKenna says Congress created trust funds to help asbestos victims:

“Bankruptcy trust funds were set up to create a smoother, and frankly less burdensome, process for those who became sick from asbestos and deserved to be compensated from the companies that went into bankruptcy under a special provision of the federal code,” said McKenna.

The trusts once had $30 billion dollars, but that is fast dwindling. The recent bankruptcy proceedings of Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC, show why.

For example, the video above shows two claims that were filed with separate trusts but for the same person. The first says the victim was exposed to asbestos at an Illinois power plant. The second alleges exposure at a steelworks – in Alabama, during the same time.

“There are no privacy risks from provisions of the FACT Act and the information that it will require be made available to the bankruptcy trust judges and to the parties in those bankruptcy cases,” he said. “For example, the proposed bill explicitly protects confidential medical information, prohibits full social security numbers from being released and so forth.”

That’s less information than even lawsuits publicly disclose, says McKenna.

Until Congress acts, unscrupulous lawyers will continue to game the system at the expense of real victims.

FacesOfLawsuitAbuse.org, which was formerly named IAmLawsuitAbuse.org, is a project of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR). ILR is a national campaign, representing the nation’s business community, with the critical mission of making America’s legal system simpler, fairer and faster for everyone. ILR was founded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 1998 to address the country’s litigation explosion.